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How to make it in Africa's music industry

(CNN) —Be it the Afrobeats of
Nigeria's Wizkid or the melodic pop of Kenyan songstress Dela, Africa's
diverse popular music scene is making noise across the continent and
around the world like never before.

But what's the secret to making it big in this vibrant,
expanding industry both on the stage and behind the scenes? Money? Loyal
fans? Or key knowledge of individual national markets and the trends
that shape them?

Music business moguls Audu Maikori and Paul
Okeugo -- founder and Chief Operating Officer of Nigerian record label
Chocolatecity Music respectively -- as well as industry experts and
members of our audience shared their thoughts during a Twitter chat with
CNN Africa.
Below is a selection of the advice offered up via the #AMM hashtag.

What are the three most important keys to success in the African music industry?
According to Okeugo, local knowledge and researching individual markets is key.
Meanwhile, Maikori stressed the importance of a fostering a reliable team and maintaining motivation.

What is the one thing people often do wrong when starting a music-related business?
A big mistake many people make, according to Maikori and Okeugo, is not being strategic with what they are trying to achieve.
Ensuring the honesty and originality of the music is also an important factor here.
This point was further emphasized by writer and music fan Hannah Ajala.
The
MAPP Africa team, who manage a mobile app that promotes music, art,
people and places in Africa and the diaspora, felt that fame and money
distracted talented people from being successful.

What advice would you give to someone just starting a business in the African music industry?
Key
advice here centered on the importance of differentiating between local
markets and being aware of trends in different locales across the
continent.
On top of this, Okuego highlighted the importance of not just limiting ambitions to audiences in Africa.
While Accenture consultant and music lover Nubi Kay stressed the importance of investing in your fans.

What's the hardest lesson you've learned working in the music industry?
The
importance of being passionate about what you do came up several times
in answers to this question. Without passion, most felt that the hard
work required wouldn't be manageable.

What do you think will be different about the music industry in 10 years' time?
A bright future for African music, believes Okeugo.
Others predicted fans would have more say over the way music is created and that technology would evolve to make this happen.
Meanwhile, African musician Nuru predicted brand partnerships with artists would become more common.

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